Later in Life
by MyLittlePuppy
Summary: Just R&R...the sequel to Letting Go of Pain...what will the kids think when Sean and Ellie get together?
1. Chapters 25 and 26

**Chapter 25**

Years went on, and soon Emma, Manny, Sean, and Craig had moved out of the small little houses that were built outside the Nelson/Simpson home before. Emma and Sean now lived in California, where there was sunshine all year round and Manny and Craig lived on the opposite side of the map, in Florida. As Craig had predicted years earlier, his and Manny's family was quite large. It now consisted of Jessica (11), Stephanie (10), Adam (10), Michael (7), and Chelsea (4). Emma and Sean had two more children, bringing their total up to six kids in the family. There was Juliana (9), Ashley (9), Brandon (9), Garrett (9), Logan (6), and Melanie (3).

One particular day, Sean arose from his sleep, only to find his wife sleeping peacefully next to him. He sighed, got up, and recovered her with the blanket on the bed. He would let her sleep a little longer. Dealing with six children so early in the morning could be tough on someone. But since Sean was away almost all day, he figured the least he could do was get the kids ready for school everyday. He was an architect, and made money by building houses. His designs that had been mocked over the previous years had just been starting points for a well-paying job. He stretched his arms as he walked down the long hallway to the kids' rooms.

"Ashley, Juliana, Garret, Logan, Melanie, and Brandon, time to get up!" he announced, knocking lightly on each of their bedroom doors. Despite the protests of the shades being pulled up, revealing a bright yellow sun, the kids managed to make it downstairs dressed and ready for breakfast in less than fifteen minutes, a record for the Cameron household.

As the six children sat around the kitchen table expectantly, Sean finished popping some fruit flavored Pop-Tarts and pouring five cups and one sippy cup of milk. He passed the plates around the table, and when the five eldest children began chomping down, Sean leaned down and grinned at his youngest, Melanie, who was sitting on the middle of the kitchen floor. He picked her up and placed her on the remaining chair with a booster seat on it. After making five lunches, he sent the kids on their way to school, and woke up his wife, feeling bad for dumping their youngest child on her. Then he began to get ready for work.

"See you later sweetheart," he told her. Emma smiled and nodded. "Will you be home for dinner?" she asked. He nodded. "I only work until five today," he reminded her. "All right," Emma agreed, kissing her husband on the lips and receiving an "EEEWWWW!" from Melanie, who was giggling and had just seen the whole thing. "I love you!" Sean told her, giving Emma one last hug. Emma nodded. "I love you too," she commented as she watched him leave through the front door.

Emma sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. Although she'd just slept for a good seven hours or so, she still felt completely worn out and exhausted. "Mommy's just tired," Emma said, turning to face her youngest child. "How about the two of us take a nap?" she asked hopefully. Melanie shook her head, bouncing up and down with excitement. "No!" she insisted. "I wanna play! Come on, Mommy!" Emma laughed slightly at her daughter's behavior.

The two of them began putting together a puzzle with the letters of the alphabet with pictures of animals. As Emma looked up at the clock to see if it was lunchtime yet, she felt her head get heavy and everything around her began to spin. She put her hand up to her forehead to try and make it stop. Glimpsing at Melanie, Emma let out an odd sigh and then sank backwards to the floor.

Ashley and the other children walked through the door at three thirty in the afternoon. She called through the house, "We're home, Mom!" Melanie came toddling into the room. "Be quiet!" she ordered softly. "Mommy is sleeping!" A confusing look came over Ashley's face as she took her younger sister's hand and motioned for the others to follow her.

Ashley was the first to find her mother lying in the playroom. She went over, gently shaking her. "Mom?" she asked; her voice cracking with worry. "We're home." When there was no visible response from her mother, she dashed into the living room to call her father. "Dad?" she questioned. "We need some help. "Mom's…she fell asleep…and …she's not waking up!" Sean, on the other line, became anxious. "Stay with your brothers and sisters," he instructed. "I'll be right there."

Ashley hung up the phone. She walked over to Melanie and got down to her level. "Mel, did you have lunch today?" she asked. The three-year old shook her head no. Juliana went and got out some graham crackers and apple juice. She set things on the table, and they began to have their snack. "Maybe she's just really tired," Logan said hopefully. Brandon shook his head. "Mommy's sick," he reminded his little brother. "Something could've happened."

Sean came rushing through the front door. "Where is she? I called the paramedics on the way here," he told them, clearly out of breath. Garrett pointed his finger towards the playroom. "She was playing in there with Melanie this morning," he told him. Sean gave a slightly nervous nod before entering the room cluttered with toys. There she was, plain as day. He reached out to touch her hand. It was ice cold. His heart sank as he blinked back tears. All at once he knew what happened. He began sobbing loudly, not caring if the children could hear him or not.

The eldest ones entered the room, holding the hands of the younger ones. "Is she…?" Brandon stuttered, unable to make his mind process the words. Sean looked up, with tears flooding down his face. Sean nodded. "I'm sorry kids," he said, his voice sounding all broken up. "Your Mommy was too sick…she's gone now," he replied, watching six faces fall and tears starting to form in their honey-colored eyes, the same shade as their mother's.

Just then, the paramedics arrived at the door. "There's no need," Sean told the men. "My wife…she's gone now…" he paused to blow his nose. "There's nothing that can be done for her now. We're just going to have to go through with a funeral and then start piecing our lives back together again." He could've killed himself for saying that. He hated pretending that nothing was ever wrong, that he could just brush things aside and start something new. But he knew that deep down in his heart, his beloved wife Emma; had died. The cancer had gotten the better of her. The love he felt for her though, never would pass on.

**Chapter 26**

Emma's funeral was over the next proceeding days. Many familiar faces from Degrassi Community School showed up. Manny and Craig came in from Florida to pay their respects, as many others had. There was a wake, a service, and then a burial, all in one day. Many tears were shed, and lots of warm embraces were welcomed. Even Alex and Jay came with their children to say good bye to Degrassi's best fighter. Ellie, Sean found out, had married another man, who seemed nice enough for her, named Keith. Surrounding them were four children of their own.

The long day was over hours later, and Sean and the six children returned to their home. Then it hit Sean. He slapped his hand up to his forehead. He was a single father of six. He had a job that lasted all day, and no one would be there to watch the kids the hour or so he wasn't home. The quadruplets didn't seem quite ready to be watching each other, being only nine years old. He got it! He had to hire a babysitter. Sure, he would have to take more out of his already dwindling salary, but it was worth it for him to know that his children were safe.

He sat down after having put the kids to bed, in the old familiar armchair that had been proclaimed "his" the day they had moved in, seven years earlier. He sighed unhappily and sifted through the phone book, looking up old familiar friends' last names, and his eyes fell upon one. "Ackerman." Today, Sean had learned that Ellie had married that man, Keith, and he believed that his last name had been Ackerman, if he had heard correctly when Ellie was introducing them. Taking a deep breath, Sean picked up the receiver and began to dial.

"Uh…hello, is Ellie there?" he asked hesitantly when Keith had picked up on the other end of the line. "Yeah, hold on just a sec," came the reply, and then the shout of Ellie's name. She sounded rushed as she picked up the phone. "Hello?" she questioned, out of breath. "El, it's Sean," he told her, and then proceeded to explain his problem.

"Well, I'm a stay at home mother, so I suppose if you tell the kids to walk over to my house after school; that would be fine." Ellie told him. She felt as though it was her duty to do this for her old friend. Here he was, he'd just lost his wife, and on the day of her funeral, he was already calling and looking for sitters. Sean was pretty smart, and it seemed as though he had a firm head placed upon his shoulders. "Thank you so much," Sean said, very happy that his old high school ex-girlfriend was being so generous. And it wouldn't be far for the children to walk, either. Ellie only lived three blocks away, past the school. He would show them the route tomorrow.

Just then, Logan came down the stairs timidly. He went over and cuddled next to Sean on the big armchair. "Hey buddy, what's bugging you?" he asked, fully knowing of the answer. "I miss Mommy!" he exclaimed, before tears started to creep down his small little face. Sean wrapped his six-year old son in a hug. He always wished he could be the type of father who could be home by three in the afternoon, toss around a baseball with his boys, that sort of thing. Now, with one less parent around, the wish seemed more and more impossible. "Daddy?" asked the little boy, looking up at his father. "Yeah?" Sean asked absentmindedly, stroking his son's blond locks the way he did Emma's. "That woman at the funeral…is she going to be our new mommy?" he asked. Sean looked over at his son, his face full of seriousness. "No, she's just going to watch you after school while I work," he replied. "No one, and I repeat, no one is ever going to take your mother's place." The little boy nodded, and kissed his father's cheek.

Boy; was Sean ever wrong about that!


	2. Chapters 27 through 30

**Chapter 27**

"So how much do I owe you for this week?" Sean asked Ellie on a hot summer afternoon, as his kids left the house, running for the van. It was two years later. The quadruplets were 11 now, and Sean had decided that when they were thirteen, they would be old enough to watch themselves. "Just twenty dollars this time," she insisted. "Your children were little angels this week." Sean grinned, pausing to take the money out of his wallet. "I wish I could get them to be that well behaved at home," he commented, handing over the twenty dollar bill. "I really should give you more," he pondered, looking at the lowly amount he'd just given her. But Ellie insisted, shaking her head. "The school year is going to start up again, and the kids are going to need new clothes," she told him. "Save the money and put it towards a clothing fund. And take them out for ice cream," she requested, handing him back the twenty. "During the summer, I'll watch them free of charge," she insisted. "They're really no problem at all." Sean smiled. "All right," he said. "But you, Keith, and your kids have to come with us."

"Well, Keith's working today," Ellie said. "But the kids and I can go." Sean grinned. He pointed with his finger to the minivan. "Hop right in," he told her. Ellie smiled and nodded. "Just let me get the kids," she said, walking back into the house. A few moments later, Ellie came outside with Colten, Tyler, Brittani, and Allison gathered around her. "I think we're set," she said. Sean nodded and they got in the car and drove off in the direction of a Dairy Queen.

They all stood outside, peering up at the menu sign. Colten tugged at his mother's shirt sleeve. "I want a Rocket Pop!" he told her, pointing at the picture of the red, white, and blue Popsicle. As they placed their rather large order, the employee looked pained, but got everything correct. Soon enough, they were all sitting around a picnic table. As they ate their icy treats, they talked- a lot. And when they were all finished, Sean drove Ellie and the kids' home- just in time to find Keith standing at the door without family in sight. Ellie hesitantly got out of the van and walked up the driveway with the four children. She took her pint of Chocolate Vanilla Swirl ice cream that Sean had got for her husband and handed it to him.

Sean drove off with his remaining six children. Back at home, He began to barbecue some hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill for dinner. The children ran off to play, or whatever it was that they did when their father wasn't watching them closely enough. Then he had an idea. Ellie and Keith were both home now, and the whole family could come over for a barbecue. He reached for the phone and dialed.

"Sorry, we're busy tonight," Keith said in a husky voice. Sean heard Ellie take the phone from him. "No, we're not, and we'll be over shortly," she said, glaring at her husband. Sean smiled happily on the other end of the line and then hung up. But little did he know of what was going on after that phone call at Ellie's house.

"I thought you said you weren't still hung up on him," Keith growled. Ellie shook her head, deeply frightened. "I…I'm not," she sputtered, hoping he wouldn't hit her in front of the children. No such luck. Keith's arm rose up and he smacked Ellie's left cheek- hard. The children gasped. Ellie's hand rose up instinctively to where her face stung with pain. The kids ran outside, scared and unsure of what their father would do next.

"You are never, and I repeat never going to do that again," Ellie insisted. "I'm not putting up with it anymore. We're leaving…tonight. I refuse to sit around here and be hit day by day by some obnoxious pig who thinks that he can control women. The kids and I will find a hotel some place tonight. But I cannot stay here, letting myself as well as my children live in fear. We're packing and leaving. We don't deserve the way you treat any of us." Then she paused, calling her children inside. The four kids and Ellie went upstairs to pack their bags, leaving a very bewildered Keith standing in the living room. What had just happened here?

Once upstairs, Ellie took out her cell phone, and dialed Sean's number quickly. "Sean…I need your help," she exclaimed urgently. She explained about the scene that had happened downstairs and then hung up after he'd promised to be there in ten minutes.

Back at the Cameron household, Sean put down the receiver, and then he put out the barbecue that was just starting to cook. "Come on kids," he called. "Dinner has been postponed. Your father has to go and be a hero." Without any questioning, the six kids went to the bathroom and loaded up into the van once more. Sean half drove, half sped down the street and around the blocks to the Ackerman home. "Stay in the car," he instructed the kids as he pulled to a grinding halt and walked through the already open front door.

Once inside, Sean found Keith sitting in an armchair with his head in his hands. "I screwed up so badly," he said sobbing, thinking that he was talking to himself. "You aren't kidding," Sean commented, beating up Keith until he was unconscious. "You have no right to treat women the way you treated Ellie," Sean said through the silent room. Then he rushed upstairs to see where Ellie and the kids were hiding.

As he approached the top level of the house, Sean looked in amazement at what he saw before his very eyes. Suitcases, duffel bags, backpacks, garbage bags, and plastic bags lined the floor. Ellie peered up at him. "He's unconscious for now," he told her, bending down to help them get packed more quickly.

"Mommy, I want to take my stuffed animals with me," said five-year old Brittani. Sean gazed over at the little girl who reminded him so much of Melanie. "Don't worry, all your little friends are coming with you." He promised the child. Brittani's face brightened and Ellie pulled him aside. "How can you tell her that?" she hissed. "We've used up just about every bag in the house!" Sean shook his head. "I'll be right back," he said. "Just you watch this."

A few minutes later, Sean returned in the children's bedrooms. "Look outside," he told the little girl, placing his arm around her. Brittani looked out of her bedroom window with curiosity. Then, with a blank stare, she looked back up at Sean. "What?" she asked. Sean chuckled slightly. "It's the animal rescue mission," he explained to her. He picked up a stuffed bunny. "Here," he said, handing the five year old her toy. "Throw it down and see what happens." Reluctantly, Brittani obeyed, and as the bunny flew out the window, Ashley caught it from below, and the stuffed animal was passed down an assembly line, until Melanie proceeded to put the toy in the backseat of the van.

"Neat!" Brittani said, immediately enthused. Suddenly unafraid, she began tossing all of her animal friends out of her bedroom window, as Ashley expertly caught them all from below. When Sean gave his daughter the thumbs up, she knew that no more creatures were going to come cascading down from the window ledge. Soon, Ellie, the kids, and all of their belongings were packed, out of the house, and into the vehicle.

"I'll just go and check into that motel over there," Ellie said, looking out the car window and pointing to a Super 8 Motel. Sean shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous, you and the kids are coming with me," he insisted. Ellie hesitated before agreeing. "Well…all right," she finally agreed, looking back at her now asleep children. Sean pulled into the driveway, careful not to wake them up.

"Ashley and Juliana will just have to share a room again," Sean concluded, looking around at the lack of bedrooms once he walked through the front door. "Melanie and Brittani can share a room, Brandon and Garrett can share a room, Logan and Tyler will share a room, and Colten can have one. Colten will have the guest room." Ellie still looked doubtful, but somewhat reassured. "All right," she said, throwing her hands up in the air at Sean's insistence. "Let's get to work moving beds around."

Everyone instantly began helping moving things around. Every closet and set of drawers was being promptly filled with tons of clothing, so much that they almost didn't close. But they were making due. Then Sean realized that Logan was huddling over in the corner, on his bed, one that didn't have to be moved. "What's wrong?" he asked gently. Logan looked away from him.

Sean took a deep breath. "What is it, Logan?" he asked once more. "Please, just let me help you." Logan took a deep breath. "You told me that you weren't going to marry Ellie," he insisted. Sean shook his head. "I'm not going to," he said. "What ever would give you that idea?" Logan turned away from his father. "Because she's living here right now," he said, casting his eyes downwards towards the floor.

Sean wrapped his arms around Logan. "Buddy, I'm not marrying her. Ellie was in some trouble, and I didn't want her to be scared for the rest of her life. Wouldn't you like it if everyone was happy?" Logan hesitated and then nodded. "Okay," he whispered. "I want her to feel happy. I don't mind if she stays here." Sean sent a warm smile his way. That was a pretty generous offer coming from an eight-year old boy.

"Hey Tyler, let me help you with that," Logan said, jumping up to assist the other eight-year old boy in the house. Tyler looked up and smiled. "Thanks," he said shyly. Sean smiled at his son's offers and turned back to Ellie. "It's going to take some getting used to," he commented. "But if we really work hard at this, I think it's going to be all right." Ellie smiled back at her old ex boyfriend. As Sean gazed into her eyes, he gasped. His heart jumped into his throat. He was falling for her- again!

**Chapter 28**

"So do you think we can all get along?" Sean questioned, looking around the table. Everyone looked up from their delicious barbecue for one second and nodded, returning to their meals. Sean laughed slightly. "I think it's going to be okay," he said, observing how well the children were getting along all ready. Ellie nodded.

"So let's see…" Sean said, his voice trailing off as he tried to make conversation. "Ashley, Juliana, Brandon, and Garrett are 11, Melanie and Brittani are 5, Logan and Tyler are 8, Colten is 7, and Allison is 3." Ellie nodded. "Good, I've got that right then," he said. Everyone helped clear the dishes from the picnic bench outside.

That night, as suspected, things didn't go quite as well as planned. The first one to arise from bed was Melanie, around 11:00. She came softly down the stairs, careful not to wake her other siblings. She spotted her father and curled up in his lap. "What is it, sweetie?" Sean asked, holding his daughter close to his chest protectively. "I don't like this," she told her father. "There are too many people in the house, and too many new noises. I want Mommy back. I miss her." Sean sighed and Ellie looked at the little girl sympathetically. "Hey, I have an idea," she said suddenly, getting up from her place on the couch. She walked over to the end table and picked up a giant photo album. Sean took the hint.

"Honey, would you like to look at some pictures of Mommy?" he asked, stroking the soft blonde hair. Melanie nodded, brushing some stray hairs out of her honey colored eyes. As they started going through the album of everlasting memories, four more of the kids awoke periodically, joining Sean and Ellie on the couch to gaze at pictures of Sean's beloved Emma.

Around one o' clock in the morning, the children were nestled back in their beds. It was a good thing that no one had school the next day. Sean sighed as he took his place on the couch. He'd given his bed up for Ellie. Remembering Emma was very important and special to the children. It gave them an idea of what their mother used to be like. Very slowly, pieces of Sean's life were being put back together. But his heart would never be completely mended.

**Chapter 29**

Some months later, it was Christmastime in the Cameron household. "Who wants to help with the Christmas tree?" Ellie asked, awaiting the children's answers. Here she was, supposed to be receiving help from Sean and she'd been living in his house now with his and her kids for almost five and a half months. "I want to! I wanna do it!" Ashley, Garrett, Melanie, and Brandon replied, along with the rest of the children. Sean laughed. "I think we've got ourselves a real tree trimming party here," he commented. For the next hour, ornaments were being hung on the tree.

"Who's going to help me with cookies?" Ellie asked, watching Sean carefully as he placed the star at the top of the tree. Sean came back down the ladder, pulling a face. "Yikes, baking…girly stuff!" he said teasingly. "Count me out," he told her. He placed a small kiss on Ellie's lips. He was sure by now that the kids were becoming suspicious. This sort of activity had been going on awhile lately. Ashley and Juliana accepted Ellie's invitation, staring at the sight of Sean and Ellie together, their eyes shining happily. "All right girls, let's get to it," she told them, looking a bit flustered. The girls nodded, still mesmerized, walking into the kitchen.

"Now!" Sean told the rest of the children. "Let's go upstairs and wrap up Ellie's gift!" The kids nodded, following him curiously up the stairs. Sean opened the closet door, revealing a beautiful present- a diamond banded ring. The children ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the diamond's presence; clearly amazed and happy for Sean. Even Logan had gotten accustomed to Ellie living with the rest of the family. They quickly wrapped it up, along with Ellie's other presents, and stuck it back in the closet. They all smiled at one another. The kids knew that this was going to be one Christmas that no one would ever forget.

The rest of the girls in the family went into the kitchen to join Ellie and the older children to help with the baking. Of the females, only Melanie remained sitting on the couch, looking a bit down. Sean sighed and went over to her, bending down to child's level. "What's bugging you, sweet pea?" he asked curiously. Melanie turned her face away from him, crying into the couch cushion. "I don't want to make Christmas cookies with Ellie!" she exclaimed, whining and protesting a bit. "Mommy used to make them just fine. I don't want someone else making her cookies! Those were special!" The little girl continued to sob violently. Sean wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Your Mommy would be very proud of you if you went into the kitchen and helped Ellie," Sean said, reassuring her. "All Mommy ever wanted was for you to be happy. She wanted our whole family to be happy, with or without her. You haven't lost her completely, you know. She's still with us," he pointed out. He traced the outline of her heart with his finger, careful not to hurt the small child. "She'll always be in here," he whispered, getting teary-eyed himself. Melanie sniffled and regained her composure. "All right," she replied sullenly, looking down at the floor, ashamed at the scene she'd just made. "I'll go help make the cookies. But you've got to come with me." Sean nodded, following his five-year old into the kitchen and putting on an apron.

When Ellie caught a glimpse of him, she burst out with laughter. "What's so funny?" Sean questioned, casting Ellie a dirty glance across the kitchen counter. Ellie tried desperately to cover up the laughter that was exploding from her, but she couldn't help it. "I…I've never seen you in an apron before…let alone an apron like that!" she proclaimed, still laughing, but trying regain her composure. Sean sent another smug yet dirty look her way, and then stared down at the apron that was tied around his waist. "I happen to think it's quite stunning," he remarked, ignoring the fact that the words "Kiss The Cook" were written in manuscript across the piece of clothing.

Now you guys had better go run along and write a letter to Santa before you go to sleep," Sean instructed. The kids nodded anxiously, wiping their hands free of flower and rushing upstairs to compose a heartfelt message for the jolly old man. Sean smiled warmly at Ellie. He wrapped his arm around her middle, kissing her lightly at first, and then the sweet kisses becoming more tender as well as urgent. Ellie pulled away quickly. "Not now!" she hissed, somewhat exaggerated. "We've got to wait until the ten little elves are all snug in their beds, with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads!" Sean laughed. "Aww…" he pretended to whine like one of the children. Ellie saw the kids coming back down the stairs out of the corner of her eye. "That's right, Sean Cameron!" she piped up. "You go upstairs and go right to sleep or else Santa won't bring you anything. Be like a good boy now, and…march!" she exclaimed, mocking the way she punished the children when they complained about doing something. Sean grinned at her, shaking his head. "I'll be waiting," he mouthed as he backed up to walk to the second level of the Cameron household. Ellie nodded, and her grin became even wider.

"All right kids, don't make me send you off to bed like that, now," she said. "Be good little children and move yourselves up those stairs. The sooner you fall asleep; I can guarantee you, the sooner Santa will come." The kids did as they were told. After hearing the last pitter-pattering of footsteps upstairs, Ellie put the presents under the Christmas tree and retreated upstairs to be with Sean.

**Chapter 30**

The next morning, Sean and Ellie were rudely awoken by ten extremely excited kids. They knew that Santa had come to pay them a visit. So around six thirty in the morning, they found ten children jumping up and down in their room. "Daddy, it's time to wake up!" Melanie enthused, shaking her father's arm. Sean grunted and rolled over to face his small daughter. He groaned loudly, but he was smiling. Ellie stirred at his side, mumbling, "Those kids are never allowed to drink coffee…even when they're closer to our age!" Sean laughed, wiping the sleepiness out of his eyes and rolling out of bed. "Christmas only comes once a year," he reminded Ellie. "I think we can spare one day of sleeping in." Ellie struggled, but finally, she too arose from bed. The whole family padded down the stairs in their slippers to come face to face with the huge Christmas tree, and at the trunk of it, presents covered plenty of the living room floor.

They all gathered around the tree, finding what little space was left on the floor, and sitting down around the mountains of gifts. This year, instead of the usual eight piles of gifts, there were twelve piles, waiting to be opened. Sean glanced, seeing the children's faces bright and happy, and their eyes sparkling with joy. "Ellie has to open her gifts last!" Sean piped up. When Ellie leaned forward and punched him lightly on the arm, he shot her a smug look. "It'll be worth waiting for, trust me," he reassured her. Ellie just smiled, and held his hand tightly.

Both Sean and Ellie watched delightedly as the children tore the wrapping off of their gifts, from the two of them, and from Santa Claus. The last thing that each of Sean's children had opened were giant albums, each personalized for a specific member of the family. As they opened the books and leafed through the pages, pictures seemed to jump off of the pages…they were of Emma, their mother. All at once, the children started smiling, although their eyes quickly started filling with tears. Everyone reminisced and when their eyes were dried, Sean put his arm around Ellie lovingly. "Ellie, I think you should open your Christmas present now," he told her, pushing the gift towards her and insisting that she graciously accept it.

Ellie's eyes were shining with a mixture of happiness and tears as she tore off the gift wrapping of the small, delicate box. Sean then proceeded to take the box from her. Holding it in his hand, he bent over so that he was on one knee. "Ellie…I love you…with all my heart, and I love all of these children as if they were my own. Please…will you…would you marry me?" he stuttered, anxiously stumbling over his words. Ellie began to bawl and covered her mouth in surprise. Brittani tugged at her mother's waist. "Tell him yes, Mommy," she whispered. "I want a Daddy that won't hurt us anymore." Ellie grinned through her tears and nodded. "Yes…" she said, hesitating only for a moment. "I will marry you!" All the kids became excited, and lots of warm embraces were given Ellie and Sean's way.

"Well, this has turned out to be an interesting Christmas already," Ellie commented, wiping her eyes free of tears. Sean nodded and the kids laughed, dancing happily around the woman who was already like a mother to them. Sean gave Ellie a light kiss on the lips before they all went into the dining room to have a small breakfast.


	3. Chapters 31 through 34

**Chapter 31**

Later that night, Ellie and Sean climbed into bed. "So when are we going to be married?" Ellie asked her fiancé. "I was thinking of June, after the kids get out of school. We could move to a larger house nearby, and raise the ten of them there." Sean replied. Ellie sighed, resting her head on Sean's muscular arm. "That sounds perfect!" she confided to him. "I can't wait to be Mrs. Ellie Cameron!" Sean laughed and tousled her auburn locks. "Me either," he whispered under his breath. "Me either."

The next morning, the whole family awoke and they were anxiously waiting to go downstairs to eat some of Sean's French toast. But a scream from Ellie made Sean drop his spatula, almost forget to turn off the oven, but caught himself, and he ran up the flight of stairs, taking two at a time.

Out of breath, he came face to face with Ellie, who'd just come out of the bathroom. "What's wrong?" he asked gently, studying the alarmed look on his fiancé's face. Ellie; still speechless; held up a pregnancy test. Sean glanced quickly, seeing a flashing pink "plus" sign. "Call it women's intuition, or whatever you want," she remarked, starting to sob. "I think we'd better get a doctor's appointment." Sean watched as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Shh…shh," he whispered, trying to comfort her. "This isn't bad or unfortunate at all. So we'll have eleven kids, there's nothing wrong with this. It's not like we can go back in time. We'll find a way to deal with this, don't worry." He scratched his head, still in amazement, and trying to support Ellie at the same time. Apparently that wasn't going to be possible, as he too, sat down on the hallway floor, sobbing himself.

"What's wrong?" Ashley asked, with Juliana at her heels. "We heard someone crying up here, so what's going on?" Sean took a deep breath and sighed, and Ellie wiped away some tears from her eyes. "Go and get your other brothers and sisters," she replied. "They need to know about this too." Juliana and Ashley leapt to their feet, not wanting to upset their new mother, and ran down the stairs.

"What…what's going on?" Brandon and Garrett asked, followed by the rest of the clan. "Yeah, we ran up here, it sounded important," announced Tyler, gasping for breath. "There's going to be a new sibling in the house," Ellie announced to everyone. "You're all going to have a new little brother or sister.

All of the children sat down on the floor, looking from Sean to Ellie, with a look of being baffled crossing their faces. "How…how…?" Juliana stuttered, trying to get the words out. "We didn't plan it, sweetheart," Sean explained. "Yikes," was all Ashley responded, taking a long deep breath in and exhaling, letting it out slowly. "Daddy, where do babies come from?" asked Melanie, her small, delicate voice breaking the silence.

Ellie looked questioningly at her fiancé. "You haven't told her?" she asked. Sean shook his head, and smirked. "No way," he replied. "I never intend to field that one to a little five year old girl." Ellie laughed. "I'll do it," she decided. "Oh great," she added as an afterthought. "My first official job as Mom!" Ashley and Juliana snickered. They had struggled with this talk, along with Brandon and Garrett, only some years earlier.

Ellie led Melanie into the room, shutting the door behind her. "Now what is it that you would like to know, honey?" she asked, pacing the floor, knowing full well what the little girl's intentions were, but stalling for some much needed time. "Where do babies come from?" she asked, scrunching up her nose, looking confused. "I mean, like, how do they get in, and how do they come out?" Ellie hesitated before sitting on her and Sean's big bed with Melanie.

"Sweetie, when two people love each other very much, sometimes they want a child, and sometimes they don't," she started, pausing for the benefit of the little girl. "But you and Daddy said that the baby wasn't planned," she said. Ellie sighed. _"Oh great, now I've just made her confused,"_ she told herself, wanting to smack herself across the face. "Well…sometimes that happens," she said. "But a new baby is always welcome. You can't give it back. It's given to the mommy by God. God apparently wants us to have another addition to the family. Do you understand this?" she asked Melanie. Melanie nodded, her blonde pigtails waving. "I think so," she said, moving closer to the door. "Mel," Ellie said, as the little girl was going to open the bedroom door. "We can talk about anything, anytime. You just come and find me…or talk to Daddy, okay?" Melanie's smile brightened. "Okay," she replied, opening the door and exiting the room.

As soon as Ellie set foot outside the door, Sean was anxious to hear all of the details. "So how did it go?" he asked nervously. Ellie sighed, wiping furiously at her brow. "Just dandy," she replied. "She thinks that the babies "just come from God." With that statement, both Sean and Ellie cracked up, walking down the stairs to enjoy their postponed breakfast.

"So now we need to come up with names for the new baby," Sean announced, sitting down at his place, and bringing the rest of the family to attention. "Does anyone have any ideas?" "I think we should name it Elmo!" Brittani said enthusiastically. Most of the older kids groaned. "Is she on some sort of Sesame Street high, or something?" Sean questioned, looking first at Ellie, and then at the small child. Ellie grinned. "That, and Barney," she replied regretfully. "I've been trying to get her out of a trance from them for almost two years now." Sean smiled warmly. "That's all right," he said. "She's in the same boat as Melanie, then. When does the Barbie phase start again?" he asked, looking towards Ashley and Juliana. "Around seven," Ashley replied. "Let the good times roll!" Everyone cracked up.

**Chapter 32**

"Well, everything seems to be in tact, Mr. and Mrs. Cameron," the doctor announced, as he ran the sonogram device across Ellie's stomach. Today was their appointment, to see if the baby was healthy, and to find out the gender. "That's good," Sean admitted. "But what is the sex of our baby?" The doctor furrowed her brow. "You mean your babies?" she asked. "You didn't know that you were having twins. "N…no…" Ellie stuttered, clutching harder onto Sean's hand. "It seems as though you'll be having one boy and one girl. Congratulations!" Sean and Ellie's eyes shone with excitement, as well as their faces. "Well thanks, they replied.

"I can't wait to tell the kids," Ellie exclaimed, beaming in the rearview mirror. "They'll be so excited." Sean smiled in agreement as well. "Let's go pick them all up," he told her. "School's just about out, and if we get there in time, they won't have to walk home. Ellie nodded, and Sean turned his full attention back on the road. "This is just so awesome!" he pressed on, trying to reassure Ellie just as much as himself that everything was going to turn out all right.

At Degrassi Community Elementary and Junior High, Sean and Ellie picked up their ten kids. Once everyone was loaded into the van, Sean took a deep breath and began. "Ellie and I went to the doctor's today," he said. "And we found out what we're having." Brandon looked from Ellie to Sean with a high level of curiosity. "So what is it?" he asked. Ellie grinned and responded. "We're having twins. They're going to be a boy and a girl. So now we need to think of two names. Apparently children come "cheaper by the dozen" these days," Ellie smiled, her eyes as well as her face shining with happiness.

Later that night, Sean and Ellie were snug in their large bed. "You know El; I always sort of liked the name Chelsea for a girl." Sean said, stroking his fiancé's long, red hair. Ellie smiled. "I like that name too," she said. "And I've liked the name Ryan for a boy as long as I can remember." Sean grinned. "So it's settled then," he remarked. "Chelsea and Ryan are on the way!" Ellie smiled. "Let's hope it's not too soon," she told Sean, praying that nothing would go wrong while carrying twins. "I think I still need some time to get used to this." Sean nodded. "No one can ever be fully ready for this," he admitted. And then he smiled as a brilliant idea popped into his mind. He looked over, seeing Ellie evenly breathing, softly. _"I'll just tell her tomorrow,"_ he told himself, rolling over in the bed and falling asleep instantly.

The next morning, Sean studied his wife's face, watching her sleep peacefully. _"I'll let her sleep, and get the kids up and ready for school,"_ he decided. _"She's pregnant now, with twins nonetheless, and it would probably be best for her to catch up on her sleep."_ He reminded himself, thinking back to when Emma had been pregnant with the quadruplets. He groaned silently to himself and got up and out of bed, walking down the hallway to the kids bedrooms, gently waking each of them from their present slumber. Despite some minor protests and setbacks, all ten children came down the stairs, dressed with their hair combed and their teeth brushed. They did as they were instructed, sitting down at the kitchen table, and began to eat their Pop-Tarts that Sean had heated up in the toaster.

"Now you guys," Sean started, whispering in case Ellie unexpectedly woke up. "I'm really going to have to have your help around the house over the next few months or so. Ellie is probably under a lot of pressure knowing that she's going to be a mother…again. So can you all try your best and help me wherever I need you?" he asked, praying for good responses. To his relief, most of the kids nodded, and the others replied, "Yeah," and "Sure."

As Sean was about to take the kids to school, he scribbled a brief note on a small scrap of notebook paper, leaving it visibly on the kitchen table. Then he loaded up the family van, making sure that all of the kids went into their directed buildings, and were safe and sound. Then he put the car back into drive, looked behind him, and with a turn of his steering wheel, turned towards home.

"I was wondering when you'd be back," Ellie's voice welcomed Sean as he walked back through the front door. "Why didn't you wake me? You know that I'm perfectly capable of still getting the kids ready and off to school. I'm not that fat yet, am I?" she asked, pointing to her slightly protruding stomach. Sean gave a light laugh. "We have ten children now, Ellie," he commented. "I think that you deserved some sleep after all we've been through." Ellie smiled warmly, wrapping her arms around her recent beau. "Thanks," she murmured into his soft, dark blonde curls. "That was really sweet."

Sean smiled, taking a hold of his fiancé's hand. "I'm going to build us a beautiful house," he confided to her. "I've learned a lot from good old Mr. Ehl, and right now, that seems like a very good thing. I can make separate bedrooms for everyone, and I could have it done by the time the babies are here!" Ellie squealed, and hugged Sean with sincere happiness and gratitude.

**Chapter 33**

Ellie took in a deep breath. She knew full well that weddings could be hectic. She just wasn't quite aware how hard they were to plan. She was once again disagreeing with Sean about something. They did all of their planning while the children were in school for the day. "I think we should write "bring a guest" on the invitation," Sean argued. "It's polite and respectful." Ellie sighed, fed up with the wedding plans. "Do you have any idea how many friends we have?" she asked calmly. "And how many of them have children and spouses, not to mention how large our own families are." Sean threw up his hands in despair. It was simply just useless to compete with an argument that had been made by a six-month pregnant woman.

"Fine, you win," he announced. "Are you happy now?" Ellie nodded, a slight smile coming onto her face. "Actually, yes," she commented, looking smartly at Sean. "I'm very happy when I have my way!" Sean laughed too, and they moved onto the next topic of the wedding…everyone's favorite…the menu and the cake! It was decided that they would hire the Degrassi Community Caterers for the reception, and they told the main manager of the place that they wanted a three layer wedding cake with the traditional man and woman in marriage clothes placed at the top of the delicacy.

Ellie had decided that Ashley, Manny, Terri, and Paige would be the bridesmaids, and Brittani and Melanie would be the flower girls. The flower colors were light yellow and white roses, and the bridesmaids dresses were a light yellow, the perfect matching colors for summer. Sean had also picked Craig for his best man this time around, instead of Jay. However, being on their politeness streak, they had thought to invite Jay and Alex to the wedding and reception as well. It was the nice thing to do, and maybe they wouldn't even be able to show up, right?

Meanwhile, on the second half of their life, they were getting prepared for two new babies to arrive into the Cameron household. It certainly wouldn't be long before Chelsea and Ryan came around. Ellie was anxiously awaiting the birth of her babies, but she also knew that it was best not to rush these sorts of things. She and Sean had already started shopping for some new baby things, but not much. Most of the things could be passed down from Sean's side of the family. One thing that he'd forgotten to tell Ellie was that Emma was the type who'd wanted to save everything, as though those things were special treasures.

Sean's house building techniques were coming along as well. The new place didn't look too shabby, he had to admit. He had already made the living room, kitchen, dining room, family room, the three bathrooms, and a playroom. The cellar was finished as well as the laundry room and the computer room. All he was finishing up were all of those bedrooms! He was proud of the job he'd been doing on this project.

After going to pick up the kids from school, everyone returned to their activities. Sean got to work starting dinner, Ellie was relaxing on the couch, and the kids were all hard at work on their homework. Brittani and Melanie walked through the kitchen, looking puzzled and concerned. "Daddy?" Melanie questioned. Sean looked up from chopping carrots for the stew. "What's wrong, my girls?" he asked, putting down the knife on the cutting board. "We need help with our homework," Brittani explained, in her cute, lisping voice. "I need to bring in something for show that starts with the letter "B," and Melanie has to bring in something that starts with a "M," Sean grinned.

He looked around the kitchen, his eyes scanning for something that started with one of the two letters. "Well, here's your banana, Brittani," he said, stressing out the syllables of the word. After continuing to search, he spotted another fruit. "And here is a mango for you, Mel," he said, stressing the same syllables. "Now you two can enjoy yourselves for the rest of the night." Both little girls smiled up at Sean. "Thank you!" they said, excited but politely, scampering off to play. Sean wiped his hands on his apron. One problem had been solved. It didn't seem like that big of a deal, but if you multiply that issue by a lot more kids, many conflicts could arise.

"Dinner is served!" Sean called only a half an hour later. "Soup's on, get it while it's hot." At that point, Juliana ran into the kitchen. "Julie, I thought I told everyone, no running around this place while others are cooking!" he exclaimed, wiping some splattered soup from his "Kiss the Cook" apron. "Sorry dad," she apologized. "But I think Ellie's having the twins. Ashley's up there with her right now." Sean wrinkled his brow in confusion. "But she's not due for another three months," he said, refusing to believe that something terrible could happen to his future wife and babies. Throwing down his dish towel, he ran up the stairs to the second story of the house, with Juliana following close behind. "Ellie…Ellie, what's wrong?" he asked, kneeling down by her side, where Ashley was bent over, studying the frightened look on her face. "Babies coming," Ellie managed to tell Sean, making another face as another contraction came along. That was all he needed to hear. He got some things ready for Ellie and told Ashley, Brandon, Garrett, and Juliana to go round up the younger children. "Hurry," he urged, watching the four oldest run off in all directions.

"We're here, we're here," all the kids announced, immediately running back into the bedroom. Sean put a firm hand on Ashley's shoulders. "Watch your brothers and sisters," he instructed. "If I don't call you in two hours, call the Hogarts. They live right around the block now, and they'll bring you to the hospital. Do you understand?" Juliana and the other three quadruplets nodded, watching as Sean furiously scribbled down the number of the hospital. "We're leaving now," he announced. "Zap some chicken patties or something in the microwave, the soup's probably cold by now. Just…make sure no one touches the stove!" he said, walking out the front door with Ellie near him. "Bye!"

Garrett stared off after Sean and Ellie left. "Um…okay…so…um…wow," he said, chuckling a bit hesitantly. He looked around at the younger ones. "All right, let's find those chicken patties!" Ashley gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile, and retrieved them from the freezer. As they cooked, Brandon took the younger ones into the living room to have a talk with them.

"Look," he started. "I hope that none of you will give us a problem. This was kind of last minute, we know, but we're a family, and we stick together. We have to do whatever it takes to make things function properly around here. Let's get to it!" The younger ones laughed and agreed, walking back into the dining room for supper.

**Chapter 34**

Ellie gritted her teeth as another contraction came through her body. Sean glanced up nervously at the doctor, and decided to have a talk with him. "Can't you just give her some magnesium stuff or something to stop them?" he asked. The doctor sighed, flipping through his charts. "I wish we could," he told Sean honestly. "But we can't. We're going to have to do a c-section and break the amniotic sacks. Something is going wrong with one of the baby's heart rates. But don't tell your wife, understand? We don't need her more upset to put her and the infant in more distress." Sean nodded. "I'll just tell her to get ready to have the babies," he decided, walking over to the edge of his fiancé's bed.

"What are they going to do?" she asked, scrunching up her nose from another contraction. Sean hesitated. "They're going to operate," he told her earnestly. "You're going to have to have the babies. Please…don't get worried, all right? Let's just pray and hope for the best." Ellie nodded. "I'll try my best," she whispered. Sean smiled reassuringly and gripped her hand for her support as well as his.

"Ellie, we're going to give you a spinal," the doctor said, coming back with a needle and a large syringe. "Just take a deep breath and close your eyes," he instructed. Ellie did as she was told. The doctor injected her with the numbing fluid, and cut Ellie open. Then he decided to get to work, careful not to show Ellie any of the babies, just in case something had happened to one of them.

"Baby number one is a boy," the doctor announced, making sure that that was all that Ellie needed to know. "Ryan," Sean replied, squeezing her hand. The doctor nodded and grinned, going after the next amniotic sac. "It's a little girl," he said, showing her to Sean. "Chelsea," he told the doctor. Ellie smiled, but she didn't know the real truth.

Chelsea appeared to be awfully tiny, with a slight bluish tint to her, as thought she were cold. She was crying though, however also gasping for air. Another doctor took her and rolled her away, quickly setting up an oxygen machine. "Well, well," the doctor said, peering in Ellie's stomach. "It seems as though two babies were hiding behind the twins. Let's see what happens. As it turned out, the third baby was a boy and the fourth baby was a girl. They were both healthy, as they'd been receiving most of Ellie's nutrients.

"Congratulations, Ellie!" the doctor announced with a smile on his face. "You are the mother of four unexpected, but very adorable set of quads. I'm going to release the numbing shot, and leave you and your husband to talk." With that, he pulled out the large needle, and after Ellie winced, he left.

Sean let out a deep breath. "Four babies…" he murmured. "Four more babies. I have an idea. Why don't I name the boy this time, and you can name the girl." Ellie nodded. "I picked Michael," he said, and Ellie told him that she picked the name Jenna for the girl. "We're all going to be one happy family," he announced, picking up his cell phone. "Excuse me for a minute," he told Ellie, getting up and walking into the hallway.

"Listen," Sean said as soon as Brandon had picked up the phone at home. "You can't come to the hospital tonight, and besides, it's after visiting hours. I want you to call the Hogarts. Tell them that you need to be picked up and driven to their house to stay there for the night. I'll swing by and pick you up tomorrow morning." Brandon nodded. "Okay Dad, whatever you say. I love you, bye." He hung up the phone, looking at Juliana. "He says to call Jay and Alex."


End file.
